Hypertension, pain medication & other cons

Mid-day, hours staring into a computer screen, all payments well overdue... perfect recipe for a throbbing headache.

Remedy: an effervescent pain pill followed by launch at the office cafeteria with loads of rice, chicken/beef curry with extra gravy and some lentil soup.

Pros: Temporary pain relief, a full stomach and the incentive to be devoured once again by the infinite conundrums of daily life.

Cons: Pain pill and food salt induced hypertension, a slowly but surely expanding waist line and a whole array of other diseases which will become potential causes of greater pain, sorrow and expenses.

 

Dear readers, please know that the Stethoscope Team expresses no prejudices, makes no exhibition of fake pity, nor poses itself as mavericks of perfect health, simply because we are all sailing in the same boat and the best we can do is row harder against these waves of constant hopelessness and dejection brought forth by our surroundings.

So why the aversion for the pain pill? This seemingly harmless pain pill can eventually cause hypertension and that may just be the tip of the iceberg. The effervescent pill contains Bicarbonate which transforms the pill into a water soluble compound and Bicarbonate is an ion which is invariably made to bond with Sodium; this elemental sodium is capable of drawing more water from the kidneys and into the blood stream, thus elevating blood pressure.

This does not mean that even one pain pill is capable of causing a hypertensive crisis but prolonged use along with all the dietary salt we consume to make our food more palatable, can be a cause for concern, as high blood pressure or hypertension can cause stroke.

So are non effervescent pills safer? Non effervescent pain pills like paracetamol and diclofenac, also contain sodium which is a component of salt. Unfortunately all pain killers which are available in our country have become medications people have easy access to; however drugs like naproxen and diclofenac are not Over The Counter (OTC) drugs.

Since much is not being done by law enforcement to prevent the injudicious sale of painkillers, all such drugs should contain information about the amount of constituent sodium and the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) in ounces or spoon measures of salt for healthy people and for people who have hypertension, diabetes and other co morbidities. If any medication contains in excess of 23mg of Sodium accompanying leaflets must bare indication of its presence.  

Pain pills cannot be struck off while treating conditions like tension headaches and mild sprains but readers must think of safer alternatives if usage becomes chronic.

If someone consumes more than 8 tablets of paracetamol a day you have definitely exceeded the RDA of Sodium and that much sodium along with all the other salts in your daily diet will definitely have dismal consequences. When dependence to pain pills has developed, time must be taken off to seek professional help because improved medications and interventions like physiotherapy or immobilization may be of paramount importance.

But the responsibility also rests among salt manufacturers in Bangladesh. The product catalogue should contain RDA’s as well. It is quite apparent that no businessman wants to exhibit regulations about how much of his product should be consumed, but the time has come for steps to be taken and formulae to be devised. The catastrophic future of a patient with stroke can have enormous drawbacks on his family, his society and also on our country.

A maximum of 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day may be consumed according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans published in 2010. However, if there is family history of heart disease or the patient has high blood pressure or is over the age of 50, salt intake should be stipulated to less than 1,500 milligrams per day.

It’s a culpable offence to ignore facts. How can we possibly calculate salt proportions while dining in the office cafeteria or devouring tasty snacks at the local tea stall? The contrast between the front and back of a painting can be the only comparison that comes to the mind.

If the front of the painting can be compared to a life maintained by proper eating practices the back definitely depicts the dreary, repulsive picture of a lifetime spent in eating junk food. Abstinence from street food is instrumental in developing healthy eating habits and launch at the cafeteria should be restricted to meager amounts of food, while restricting items which are rich in oils, spices and condiments.

Furthermore, is it at all possible to calculate the salt proportions which are inherent in seafood, fruits and vegetables? Seafood like lobster and salmon contain in excess of 200mg of salt in every 80-100gm servings, so it is safer to cook seafood with less salt.

Most fruits and veggies are paltry sources of sodium except Broccoli (80mg of sodium in every 150 gm) or Celery (115 mg of sodium in every 110gm). The age old essence endures yet again: eat green stay ever-green.

The other risk factors of hypertension are also modifiable accept age, ancestry and family history. Smoking, alcohol and hyperlipidemia can easily be checked by adapting healthy life style practices.

The casual drinker or smoker has less to dread, but to have devastating habits will always be the cause of concern for hypertensive or normotensive individuals .It is well known that stress is part and parcel of our day to day lives but to sink into continuous streams of depressive and nerve-racking thoughts may fulminate into stroke secondary to hypertension. Relaxing activities are beneficial for everybody.

The errands of everyday life have proven therapeutic and can get your mind off distressing thoughts; for instance some people enjoy ironing, others cooking and so on. If these activities help you relax it’s certainly worth a lot less than paying a fortune for expensive treatments and medications.  

Hypertensive patients world over must be  cautious of what they eat (food and anti-hypertensive medication), how much they eat, how much they stress, the exercises they need to adapt and last but not the least; the pain pills they choose (dosage, frequency and sodium content).

Not that the rest of us will forever be immune to diseases like hypertension and stroke but a bit of caution on our parts can be instrumental towards a healthy life.

Our esteemed readers are asked to remember that stroke and hypertension are diseases which must be carried lifelong; what cannot be cured must be endured.

 

Hypertension, pain medication & other cons

Mid-day, hours staring into a computer screen, all payments well overdue... perfect recipe for a throbbing headache. Remedy: an effervescent pain pill followed by launch at the office cafeteria with loads of rice, chicken/beef curry with extra gravy and some lentil soup. Pros: Temporary pain relief, a full stomach and the incentive to be devoured once again by the infinite conundrums of daily life. Cons: Pain pill and food salt induced hypertension, a slowly but surely expanding waist line and a whole array of other diseases which will become potential causes of greater pain, sorrow and expenses. Dear readers, please know that the Stethoscope Team expresses no prejudices, makes no exhibition of fake pity, nor poses itself as mavericks of perfect health, simply because we are all sailing in the same boat and the best we can do is row harder against these waves of constant hopelessness and dejection brought forth by our surroundings. So why the aversion for the pain pill? This seemingly harmless pain pill can eventually cause hypertension and that may just be the tip of the iceberg. The effervescent pill contains Bicarbonate which transforms the pill into a water soluble compound and Bicarbonate is an ion which is invariably made to bond with Sodium; this elemental sodium is capable of drawing more water from the kidneys and into the blood stream, thus elevating blood pressure. This does not mean that even one pain pill is capable of causing a hypertensive crisis but prolonged use along with all the dietary salt we consume to make our food more palatable, can be a cause for concern, as high blood pressure or hypertension can cause stroke. So are non effervescent pills safer? Non effervescent pain pills like paracetamol and diclofenac, also contain sodium which is a component of salt. Unfortunately all pain killers which are available in our country have become medications people have easy access to; however drugs like naproxen and diclofenac are not Over The Counter (OTC) drugs. Since much is not being done by law enforcement to prevent the injudicious sale of painkillers, all such drugs should contain information about the amount of constituent sodium and the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) in ounces or spoon measures of salt for healthy people and for people who have hypertension, diabetes and other co morbidities. If any medication contains in excess of 23mg of Sodium accompanying leaflets must bare indication of its presence. Pain pills cannot be struck off while treating conditions like tension headaches and mild sprains but readers must think of safer alternatives if usage becomes chronic. If someone consumes more than 8 tablets of paracetamol a day you have definitely exceeded the RDA of Sodium and that much sodium along with all the other salts in your daily diet will definitely have dismal consequences. When dependence to pain pills has developed, time must be taken off to seek professional help because improved medications and interventions like physiotherapy or immobilization may be of paramount importance. But the responsibility also rests among salt manufacturers in Bangladesh. The product catalogue should contain RDAs as well. It is quite apparent that no businessman wants to exhibit regulations about how much of his product should be consumed, but the time has come for steps to be taken and formulae to be devised. The catastrophic future of a patient with stroke can have enormous drawbacks on his family, his society and also on our country. A maximum of 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day may be consumed according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans published in 2010. However, if there is family history of heart disease or the patient has high blood pressure or is over the age of 50, salt intake should be stipulated to less than 1,500 milligrams per day. Its a culpable offence to ignore facts. How can we possibly calculate salt proportions while dining in the office cafeteria or devouring tasty snacks at the local tea stall? The contrast between the front and back of a painting can be the only comparison that comes to the mind. If the front of the painting can be compared to a life maintained by proper eating practices the back definitely depicts the dreary, repulsive picture of a lifetime spent in eating junk food. Abstinence from street food is instrumental in developing healthy eating habits and launch at the cafeteria should be restricted to meager amounts of food, while restricting items which are rich in oils, spices and condiments. Furthermore, is it at all possible to calculate the salt proportions which are inherent in seafood, fruits and vegetables? Seafood like lobster and salmon contain in excess of 200mg of salt in every 80-100gm servings, so it is safer to cook seafood with less salt. Most fruits and veggies are paltry sources of sodium except Broccoli (80mg of sodium in every 150 gm) or Celery (115 mg of sodium in every 110gm). The age old essence endures yet again: eat green stay ever-green. The other risk factors of hypertension are also modifiable accept age, ancestry and family history. Smoking, alcohol and hyperlipidemia can easily be checked by adapting healthy life style practices. The casual drinker or smoker has less to dread, but to have devastating habits will always be the cause of concern for hypertensive or normotensive individuals .It is well known that stress is part and parcel of our day to day lives but to sink into continuous streams of depressive and nerve-racking thoughts may fulminate into stroke secondary to hypertension. Relaxing activities are beneficial for everybody. The errands of everyday life have proven therapeutic and can get your mind off distressing thoughts; for instance some people enjoy ironing, others cooking and so on. If these activities help you relax its certainly worth a lot less than paying a fortune for expensive treatments and medications. Hypertensive patients world over must be cautious of what they eat (food and anti-hypertensive medication), how much they eat, how much they stress, the exercises they need to adapt and last but not the least; the pain pills they choose (dosage, frequency and sodium content). Not that the rest of us will forever be immune to diseases like hypertension and stroke but a bit of caution on our parts can be instrumental towards a healthy life. Our esteemed readers are asked to remember that stroke and hypertension are diseases which must be carried lifelong; what cannot be cured must be endured.